The Forest Acres (SC) police department is mourning the loss of Officer Greg Alia, 32. Officer Alia was shot and killed earlier this morning while confronting a suspicious individual at the Richland Mall.

After receiving a complaint of a suspicious individual in the parking lot of the mall, Alia and another police officer located Jarvis Hall, 34, inside of a van. Hall become uncooperative upon contact with the officers and fled on foot.

Officer Alia pursued Hall into the mall and eventually caught up with him before a physical struggle ensued. Hall allegedly pulled a gun on Officer Alia and fatally shot him. Hall was apprehended shortly thereafter.

"He was an outstanding young man. He was an outstanding police officer," said Forest Acres police chief Gene Sealy.

Alia was a husband and the father to a baby boy and the first South Carolina officer killed by gunfire in the line of duty in 2015. He is the 98th officer to have been killed/died in the line of duty nationwide.

The number of officers killed/died in the line of duty is up 2% from the same time last year.